Friday, 20 January 2017

Shun Forum/Q&As For EFL-Required Dialogue

My apologies to anyone who thinks this may all
already have been said and done many times over. But I think the coincidence of
the Trust announcing a prospective Q&A with Meire for its members and the
Trust itself issuing a statement clarifying its position on contacts with the
regime merits some comment.

Feel obliged to start by reiterating a basic ground
rule, one that really shouldn’t be necessary. As far as I’m concerned anyone
who goes around shouting or writing about ‘real’ supporters, ie ones who agree
with them, and ‘others, not genuine Addicks’ is either a regime troll/employee
or someone who needs to go on a basic training programme on what it means to be
an Addick. Of course there are Addicks who support the regime, who tolerate it
and are anti-protest, who would welcome a change of owner but feel the protests
won’t help achieve this, and those who believe that only with a change of owner
can our club prosper, regain its self-respect, and consequently back and/or
participate in the protests.

It should be clear to all which group I fall into. But
I hope It is also clear that there’s never been any suggestion from me that
those Addicks of a different opinion are not real supporters. We all want the
club to do well, to enjoy our matchday experience, and to be part of a full and
vibrant Valley. Nobody wants to be protesting, those of us who do believe it is
necessary. There will be an end to Duchatelet’s ownership, sooner or later, and
that will be the cause for the celebration (even with a little dancing) of a
reunification of all Addicks, something which I hope even regime supporters
accept is impossible as long as he is the owner and doesn’t change his spots
(unless of course you want unity among a few). And for every one Addick who
complains that the protests are spoiling his/her matchday and is feeling forced
away, I’d point to those who have been forced away since the regime showed its
colours and incompetence and well before the protests began. They all, young
and old, count equally and we want them all back when circumstances change.

Anyone who claims that they speak for real Addicks,
the majority, the overwhelming majority, the silent majority, a rising majority
etc is bullshitting. I don’t know how the numbers stack up and nor I imagine
does anyone else. We can only go on anecdotal evidence, not what the bloke next
to you says in support of your views, and it’s been a while since the last
pre-match protest. If anyone might know it is the Trust.

There’s an intriguing start to its statement: “with
the arrival of a new year and the recruitment of a number of new members …”
Does that actually indicate that regime-supporting Addicks have indeed been
taking up the suggestion that they join the Trust to get their voices heard?
I’ve no idea but if they have it is entirely welcome news. I’d urge all Addicks
to join, to make the Trust as representative as it possibly can be. It’s
entirely up to them of course but the creation of separate pro-regime groups
would be, in my view, divisive and counter-productive. And if as a result it
ended up that a majority of Trust members were against the protests, it is
absolutely right and proper that the Trust would then separate itself from
CARD. I would expect no less. I’d also expect that unless and until it is clear
that a majority of Trust members are against the protests the Trust maintains a
line that reflects its members’ views as previously expressed and remains a
part of CARD.

With this in mind, while I’d agree with most of the
views and positions outlined by the Trust in its statement, I would advocate
both that the Trust withdraws from the Fans Forum and declines to participate –
and urges its members to decline to participate – in the latest planned staged
Q&A with Meire.

The two relevant factors here are the Trust’s
constitution and the English Football League’s new rule requiring clubs to
enter into a defined process of dialogue with supporters. The Trust justifies
its continued participation in the Fans Forum on the grounds that it remains
“committed to communication” and that its primary purpose is “to be the vehicle through which a healthy, balanced
and constructive relationship between the club and its supporters and the
communities it serves is encouraged and developed". The Trust goes on to
acknowledge that the Fans Forum is the regime’s “preferred vehicle” for
dialogue with fans.

I would suggest that the Fans Forum, however worthy
and well-meaning as far as the Addicks who have participated in it may be, has
been and remains an entirely inappropriate ‘vehicle’ for the sort of dialogue
which the EFL now requires of football clubs. The regime has from early on
deceitfully and wilfully attempted to give the impression that it values
supporters, that it values supporters’ opinions, and that it wants constructive
engagement with supporters. The only honest line I’ve seen on that front came
in the recent Duchatelet interview when he said that “supporters can have a say
in the logistics, like how the beer should
be served”. Many moons ago in a piece on the Fans Forum minutes I joked that
dialogue with fans had to be about more than the price of Bovril, but it seems
not.

I would ask whether Duchatelet’s comments on the sort of
dialogue with supporters that he feels is appropriate, and the sort of dialogue
that we have witnessed to date, meet the EFL’s requirement that meetings (which
should be held at least twice a season) should discuss “significant issues
relating to the club” and are compatible with both the spirit and the letter of
the EFL’s wishes. I would suggest that the regime does not currently comply
with the new EFL rule and has no intention of doing so. Consequently I’d urge
the Trust to contact the EFL to take the matter up with the club, to force
compliance. This proper dialogue could take the form of scheduled meetings
between the club and the Trust, an agreed agenda, and details minutes published
by the Trust.

In the interim, the Fans Forum and the utterly pointless and
counter-productive Q&As merely serve as vehicles for undermining the
possibility of meaningful dialogue, allowing the regime to try to pretend that
there is ongoing dialogue. I would urge the Trust to turn its back on both in
pursuit of the goals outlined in its constitution – unless and until it is
clear that a majority of its members support a different position. I’m a member
of the Trust but have no interest in attending an event at which Meire will pay
lip-service to communication and no interest in her answers. It’s not as if she
is able to regain any shred of credibility and when it comes to ‘significant
issues related to the club’ she is only the mouthpiece for our absent and
indifferent owner.

Oh, and by the way, lest we forget Karl Robinson. Each
passing day without a response from him, positive or negative, to the Trust’s
invitation for talks lowers his standing in my estimation. He may of course be
preoccupied with injuries and suspensions ahead of the weekend of course, or
perhaps the piece yesterday about his shareholding in the company of Dele Ali’s
agent. I’ve read the report and some of the comments around it, but seems to me
there are two questions to be answered. First, did Robinson buy the stake
(albeit a small one) and, if not, for what services was he given it? Second,
although the regime has said there are no Charlton players on the books of the
company involved, Impact Sports Management, are there any deals with any agents
which mean that club officials, including the manager and board members, might
benefit financially from the sale of players? If I thought there was any chance
of honest answers that could be a reason to attend the Q&A.

Have to end with a ‘Robinsonism of the day’, I really like
this one. On the club site, talking about Scunthorpe, he says: “It’s a long
season, it’s hard to stay up there for the duration and we all have dips. That’s
not to say that they’re going to have one.” Actually Karl, yes it is.

10 comments:

You make some very good points, as usual BA. The Fans Forum is an embarrassment and those who supposedly represent us must surely know that. It's simply a cloob device to be able to talk up fan engagement whilst talking about nothing of any importance whatsoever.

Dave, have to agree, which is not to say those Addicks who participate do not mean well or that it couldn't have a function as part of a wider system of communication. The regime seems to try to be too clever by half, like the invitation to CARD and the leaking of it to the press, and it usually backfires. I honestly don't know what they've been scared of, the suggestion that fans want or expect to make board decisions is absurd. Perhaps it's just ongoing accountability that would worry them.

Anon, I hope then as soon as you read the word you stopped reading. I've no wish to waste your time (or you mine).

Thanks and apologies guys, had to go out and wasn't around to get rid of the offensive ones from our resident virus. Also had another Anon comment which didn't seem to get posted (I didn't delete it). It read: 'a2c I've got a feeling that you must have a huge chip on your shoulder because you can't read and write. You can get help for that, then you will be able to understand what BA is talking about. Until then you can only guess which is very apparent.'

Interesting that the owner roland met the owner of red bull yesterday from reports he looking to sell and hopefully wants out which is good news for all Charlton fans.As I said before I know for a fact Beckhmas Miami consortium group were seriously looking at the club over the summer I only found this out as my mate at work is best friends with his wife Victoria so I'm hoping it could be him but that's just wishfull thinking!my work colleague told me that he sent in suits to look at the books but these things take time that was july and haven't heard anything since then on Becks.Then it all went very quiet with CARD on clife something is deffently happening behind the scenes ive learnt over the last week possible 6 interested parties looking to buy Charlton athletic fc 1.koc holdings 2.a partner of Harris who owns cpfc looking to build a super stadium along the 02 3.appollo management and 4.red bull who met yesterday and 5paul Elliott and 6. peter varney if anyone can update this that would be great.